Sending a Message
by spacemonkeylover
Summary: Major Spoilers for season 9 Beachhead. ValaDaniel pairing, Daniel's thoughts at the end.


Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been never will be.

Spoilers: Season 9, especially for Beachhead.

Rating: 13 to be on the safe side.

Sending a message by Sarah

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Vala was dead. Daniel hadn't listened to her and now she was dead. She had risked her life to save theirs, his. She had succeeded but killed herself in the process.

Daniel drifted off to sleep again.

"_I have an idea, if we can pu-"_

"_The next idea that anyone comes up with has to be outside the box."_

He woke up with a start; he couldn't get her out of his dreams.

He had cut her off, he had killed her, she was dead. He had doubted her, thought she would come out with something ridiculous or an innuendo-ridden comment. He had seen these as defence mechanisms, to protect herself from more pain and suffering. They were, but these defence strategies had hidden the true Vala from him, her quick thinking, logical and beautiful mind; she kept them hidden behind the mask because one day she knew she would be leaving them, leaving him. She kept them all at a distance with her pouting and her teasing, yet sometimes she would let slip a little about her feelings or her past.

Daniel lay in the infirmary bed fighting off sleep as he thought of Vala, trying to piece together her lies to find the truths. He suddenly realised, something that had eluded him for the weeks she had been at the SGC, she wanted to stay, to have a home and some semblance of normality. Maybe even she wanted him, she had hinted, flirted, even turned up in his bed one night. Was she that lonely? In a base full of people she was still lonely.

The second time she tried to explain her plan Cameron had cut her off, they had all thought she would have nothing useful to say. They should have listened, she knew the galaxy better than the rest of them, she had travelled, been a host to a Goa'uld, she knew things none of them could even begin to understand yet they had ignored her.

He felt his eyelids drooping.

"_Sir, someone has just activated the ring transporter." _

"_What?"_

"_Oh no."_

He was awake again.

They owed her their lives, had she waited any longer then they all would have died. He hoped it was quick, no pain and no regrets. Not like when they had been burned alive, he could still smell the burnt hair on her head when he thought about it too much. He hoped that wherever she was it was peaceful-she deserved that at least.

He was so angry with her that she had run off, angry and worried for her safety. In a selfish way he was also slightly worried about himself; their bond was wearing off but if it was still effecting them both then he was in danger too. The last things he had said to her were shouted just like so many conversations they had had before, Teal'c had joked that they were getting more and more like a married couple after one of their more heated debates.

"_Did Vala make it back onboard?" _

"_Negative, Sir."_

"Hey Jackson," Lt Colonel Mitchell's voice woke him.

He blinked sleepily, "Sorry, keep falling asleep."

"Well it's better than the alternative." Daniel appreciated Cameron's attempts at optimism but he wasn't in the mood for that right now. He felt as if a part of him was missing, which technically was true. Vala and Daniel couldn't function properly with being in close proximity to each other. He had gotten used to constant presence of the slightly annoying woman.

"You're lucky the bracelets effect was wearing off," Sam added.

"Yeah, lucky me," he said sarcastically.

"Vala Mal Doran will be mourned," Teal'c had a way of getting to the root of the conversation without the need to skirt around the subject for a while first. It was kind of comforting to know Daniel wouldn't be the only one to miss her.

"I've been going over the telemetry from the last few seconds before the formation of the singularity, a matter stream left the cargo ship just before it exploded," Daniel sat up as Sam said this. "I mean there's at least a slight chance that it was pulled into the singularity."

"So you're saying she could be alive somewhere in the Ori home galaxy?" he had to know there was some small chance that she was alive and maybe, just maybe they would find her.

"It's possible."

The irony of the situation hit him as he looked at Cameron who had a smile on his face that spoke words, most of them saying what a jammy bugger Vala was, is.

"Well, we wanted to send them a message," and what a message it would be.

Daniel couldn't help but smile to himself as the others told him to get some sleep so they could go and find her as soon as possible. As they left Sam turned back to Daniel, "Are you going to be okay?"

"You know, I think I am."

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